Department of Physics

Relevant Links

Physics at Oxford aspire to be one of the best physics departments in the world by conducting cutting-edge research and by teaching and developing the careers of the next generation of physicists.
Physics work on major facilities worldwide, develop the most advanced experimental techniques and the most sophisticated theoretical methods to investigate nature at every scale.
Oxford University Physics Department pursues fundamental science and in doing so make discoveries that enable them to contribute directly to tackling the challenging problems facing society.

Series associated with Department of Physics

Astrophysics: An Introduction

Department of Physics

Lab, Camera, Action!

Oxford Physics Alumni

Oxford Physics Public Lectures

Particle Physics (Alan Barr)

Physics and Philosophy: Arguments, Experiments and a Few Things in Between

Physics Flash Talks

Reduced Density Matrices in Quantum Physics and Role of Fermionic Exchange Symmetry

The planet is in trouble; fossil fuels are being depleted and are contributing to global warming. Plants, however, have been directly harnessing solar energy for as long as they have existed. A flash talk from Tomas Leijtens.

Albert Einstein is one of the greatest scientists to ever live, and even he made mistakes, as Luke Jew explains - A comforting thought for all of us! This great mistake was about the astrophysics that will ultimately determine how our universe will end.

Wheels are so last century. We’ve got a train set which doesn’t have any; it just floats around the track in a billowing cloud of steam. Dr Andrew Steele explains how our superconducting magnetic levitation—or maglev—train really works.

Will there be humans living on Mars in the next 50 years? Is this a good thing, or something that should be completely avoided? Chris Lintott and Colin Wilson debate the pros and cons of this interesting topic.

Ever wondered if another planet like our own exists in the vast expanse of space around us? Ruth Angus explains her exciting research into Extra Solar Planets (Exo-Planets) and why research in this area is important.

How does a quantum computer work? Why is a quantum computer so much better than a traditional computer? This talk will give you an insight into the strange features of the quantum world that we can exploit to develop a super fast quantum computer.

Magnetic particles can get frustrated in their interactions with other particles because of lattice geometry. Lots of new and exciting physics is involved in understanding how they deal with their frustration.

The Earth's climate is changing; but what are we doing about it? The frustration felt all around the world at the inability to agree a meaningful deal on global carbon dioxide emission leaves people looking for alternatives.

Since the discovery of the first extra-solar planet in the '90s, our perspective of the Universe has changed. Over the last two decades a whole host of exotic planet systems have been found, including analogues of famous science-fiction-worlds.

Since the discovery of the first extra-solar planet in the '90s, our perspective of the Universe has changed. Over the last two decades a whole host of exotic planet systems have been found, including analogues of famous science-fiction-worlds.

In January 2013 over 1,000 people visited the Astronomy Open Day to meet scientists, hear the latest on research at Oxford and find out more about the stars. This video shows the range of hands-on activities that took place throughout the day.

Scientists at the Large Hadron Collider claim the discovery of the Higgs boson particle. Alan Barr of Oxford's Physics department, UK physics coordinator for LHC's ATLAS experiment, describes what it means for science.

Dr Alan Barr, University Lecturer in the Particle Physics group in the University of Oxford's Department of Physics, discusses the particle physics experiments at the Large Hadron Collider, CERN, Switzerland.